Sylvia Tosun Named BMI’s Abe Olman Scholarship Recipient

Posted in News on June 20, 2005

BMI songwriter Sylvia Tosun has been named one of this year's recipients of the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Abe Olman Scholarship for Excellence in Songwriting. The scholarship, presented each year at the kick-off event to the SHOF induction ceremony, honors five gifted young composers and lyricists from songwriter programs sponsored by BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, SGA and the SHOF itself.

BMI's Charlie Feldman congratulates Abe Olman Scholarship winner Sylvia Tosun. Photo by Chuck Pulin

Named for one of the founding members of the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Abe Olman Scholarship awards $1,200 to each winner. The presentation was held June 7 in conjunction with the SHOF compilation CD release party at the Cutting Room in New York.

Tosun just returned from Beijing, China where she performed at the first ever concert at the Great Wall entitled "Wall of Hope" (scheduled to air this summer), sharing the stage with Alicia Keys and Cyndi Lauper. Her full-length album Jump In was released this May, and features producer Miklos Malek (Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Anastacia), mixer Tom Lord-Alge (Avril Lavigne, Peter Gabriel, Blink 182) and co-writers Julie Flanders and Emil Adler (founders of the cult band October Project). Sylvia's powerful voice combined with the album's rock rhythms, pop melodies, poetic metaphors and mystical undertones have been favorably compared to Annie Lennox, Sting and Peter Gabriel. A track from Jump In has just been featured on the WB11's DVD series, "Dawson's Creek."

SOURCENews TAGS Pop Artists Peter Gabriel Cyndi Lauper Annie Lennox Jennifer Lopez Sting Sylvia Tosun